When Sony planned to highlight the power of the PS5 and its SSD, it did so with a modified version Marvel’s Spider-Man. We were whisked from one end of the city to the other as fast as our web-slinging hero could hope for in a match without any hiccups or degradation in graphical quality. Which makes it fitting that the first game that feels like it fully delivers on the promises upon which the PS5 was sold is none other than Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
This generation is significantly more isolated than the previous generation. Almost all of Sony’s first-party releases including god of war ragnarok And horizon forbidden west, Sees a dual release on PS4 and PS5. After playing a technically amazing role spider man 2, it now appears clear that developers were holding back from running their games on older hardware. Even Insomniac’s own Ratchet and Clank: Crack apart, A PS5 exclusive, now feels like an opening act that was getting us excited for the headliner. spider man 2 Ultimately it seems like this is the first game that can’t exist on any other console besides the PS5.
tip the scales
early moments of spider man 2 This is a clear example of Insomniac showing just how talented their team is. You might expect most games to start with some kind of set piece or grand moment to make a strong first impression and get you into it, but spider man 2 Goes above and beyond. Its opening villain fight scene shows a sense of scale almost unheard of at this level of fidelity, but that alone isn’t unique. What makes this sequence so impressive is how seamlessly it transitions players from small to large-scale moments without missing a beat. One moment, I’m fighting goons in a close-in location, then get thrust into a fully built city, where a giant villain shifts and moves out into the open world.
Where the technology starts to be truly mind-blowing is in scenes where the camera pans from one character to another while traveling miles through the busy streets of the city. When the camera finally lands on Miles or Peter, I’m given instant control over them – no loading necessary. This is an astonishing achievement which was never possible till now.
Insomniac has also built on some of its impressive technology that it introduced for the first time Ratchet and Clank: Crack Apart, In one set-piece, a mind-boggling chase scene in which players instantly jump from one place to another in silky smooth flow, the team is seen showing off their mastery on the PS5’s lightning-fast SSD. That it’s thrown so casually into the middle of a story as if it’s no big deal speaks to the power on display here.
Oh, and it’s all happening at 60 frames per second with ray-tracing enabled.
spider man 2 It also makes a big effort to use the DualSense’s haptics and adaptive triggers to its advantage. You get a more subtle sense of tension when swinging, but more intense scenes increase the resistance to emphasize dramatic moments. Every time the triggers are tensioned, stopped, or relaxed, it is in the service of immersion. Although there are some puzzles that make more obvious use of the controller features, they blend in to become part of the experience without drawing attention to themselves.
It’s all in the details
spider man 2New York is a true open world that is stunning, whether you’re diving from the top of a skyscraper with your wingsuit on or walking the streets and admiring the storefronts. Yet, Insomniac didn’t stop there. Fast travel is an amazing feat that will blow your mind the first time you try it. Click anywhere on the map and you will be taken there instantly. seriously. You can also switch between the game’s two main characters with barely two seconds of loading.
Almost as impressive was the instant loading. Ghost of Tsushima, way spider man 2 Not only can it transport you from one end of the world to the other in the blink of an eye, but often doing so without disrupting gameplay is the real innovation. It’s not as easy to point out as graphics or performance, but that’s what makes the game “next gen” in my eyes. We claimed loading screens were gone last generation, but we were just hiding them (2018’s God of War was a masterclass in that). Here, Insomniac have finally struck the true killer blow.
There are diminishing returns with each console generation in terms of how big a leap the technology is from the previous generation. For the first few years, it felt like the PS5 had very few options other than slightly better graphics and more options to run at 60 FPS than the PS4. Now that spider man 2 Here it is, the bar has been set. If you’re in doubt or are hesitant about buying a PS5 because none of the games really stand out from the previous generation, spider man 2 This is the game you’ve been waiting for.
marvel’s spider man 2 Now available on PS5.